Arsenal are set to go head-to-head with Chelsea over the signing of one of South America’s hottest young talents, 16-year-old Federico Valverde.
The Atletico Penarol midfielder is attracting huge interest following a string of impressive performances for Uruguay during March’s South American Under-17 Championships, scoring seven goals from midfield.
After returning from the competition, Penarol boss Pablo Bengoechea admitted:
‘It is in my mind that Federico Valverde will be training with the first team very soon’
But with interest growing in Valverde, Penarol will find it difficult to keep hold of the youngster – with Arsenal having already made contact over an offer.
A scout who was present at the U-17 championships was quoted in the Daily Mirror saying:
‘Valverde was easily Uruguay’s stand-out performer in Paraguay.
‘He’s got ‘llegada’ as they say in Spanish, he makes well-timed runs to arrive in the penalty area unmarked, and obviously he is technically very sound.
‘His goals total was inflated by penalties but he was one of the four or five players that generated the most buzz among scouts for sure.’
Arsene Wenger is always looking to recruit exciting young talent and Valverde looks to be another on the Frenchman’s radar.
But Arsenal must fend off interest from Chelsea and Barcelona to land the teenage sensation, who could cost up £3 million.
